Facing a squad that had just upset No. 3 Wake Forest, No. 23 NC State men’s tennis had its work cut out for it — especially considering it had lost four of its last six matches.

No. 25 Stanford (15-7, 8-4 ACC) looked to be a step ahead of the Wolfpack (16-5, 8-4 ACC), but the Pack made things interesting at the end of the line. Freshman Darius Pop kept the Wolfpack alive, saving two match points and forcing a third set. But all was for not as Pop fell in the final set 4-6, and Stanford clinched the win 4-3.

Instead of playing on Court 6 like normal, Pop had been moved up to Court 5, facing Jagger Leach of Stanford. Fellow freshman Ainius Sabaliauskas, who normally plays on Court 4, had been taken out of the lineup after a recent slump, having lost four of his last five matches. Sabaliauskas has struggled overall in singles competition this season, with a total record of 6-12.

Taking that spot was Sabaliauskas’s doubles partner, redshirt freshman Cody Benton, playing in his first singles match since Jan. 23. Benton did not disappoint, claiming the first point for the Wolfpack, and winning 6-3, 6-4 versus former 5-star recruit Mark Krupkin.

Head coach Kyle Spencer also made some changes in the doubles lineup. The No. 11 ranked pairing of senior Martin Borisiouk and redshirt sophomore Jules Leroux was split up as Borisiouk did not compete in the doubles.

Benton and Sabaliauskas had been hot heading into last weekend with six-straight victories and were moved up to Court 1 to play No. 21 Alex Chang and Alex Razeghi, but they fell 5-7.

Redshirt sophomore William Manning and freshman Charlie Camus were also split up and Manning was paired with Leroux. Together, they won 7-5 against Nico Godsick and Hudson Rivera. Camus and Pop were paired up, but they fell 4-6.

In the singles, Manning defeated Godsick on Court 2 6-4, 6-7, 6-3, while Camus won 7-6, 6-3 on Court 4 versus Alex Chang. Leroux fell on Court 3 5-7, 3-6.

Borisiouk did not play in the doubles competition, but he did compete in the singles. He fell 0-6, 1-6 on Court 1, and it seems like something is up with the senior who made it to the NCAA Semifinals in the fall. With just one match remaining before the postseason, the Pack will need his presence to survive and advance.

Next up, the Pack faces No. 3 Wake Forest in Winston-Salem at 5 p.m. on Saturday, April 11.